Where is this? - #17

If you think you know where it is (or you want to guess) click on comments. Click on the picture to see an enlarged image.

The pictures for the game 'Where is this?' have all been taken from someplace in Libya and are in an area open to the public. The prize for the winner will be the satisfaction of knowing that you had the right answer! - I'll let you know who the winner is.

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Ghazi Gheblawi said...

This will be my first try in this competition, ok I think this is the entrance gate of Dar Al founon (the House of Art) from inside, it is situated in what we call Triq Al Seka (7th of November street), hope I am right.

Correct! Congratulations Ghazi!

I went this morning to The Art House with two of my daughters and my friend Tara. She'd never been there before. The Art House sells art supplies and does picture framing and also sells artwork and signed prints done by Libyan artists. Upstairs is an architect's office and on the lower level is an art gallery that hosts a changing display of local art. The staff is helpful and are available to answer any questions visitors might have.


The only problem is that the road it is located on is very busy and if you don't know exactly what you are looking for you will probably just drive right by. This is the sign on the wall outside.

We had a nice visit. There was a brochure available (in both English and Arabic) of the artists being shown in the gallery but my children took off with it to look at the pictures and now it's disappeared. I can't remember the name of the artists. You'll just have to visit The Art House and have a look yourself.

My life's news

I spent the morning looking in shops that sell light fixtures. The house has reached the stage of installing lighting and I am not thrilled with anything I've seen in the shops. We drove from one place to the next, getting in and out of the air conditioned car and we finally found our way to Suk Thalat and parked and just walked from shop to shop. Nothing appealed to me. It was depressing. I just ended up making myself hot, tired and grumpy. Lunch was two roasted chickens bought on the way home. I don't think I could have faced the kitchen.

Facing the kitchen these days is depressing. My stove is in the shop getting repaired. It had started turning the bottom of my pots and pans black with soot. So I removed it from the kitchen and it sat in the stairway until Mustafa decided to take it to be repaired. In the meantime I have been using a tiny tabletop type stove that has two burners. I call it the Barbie stove. Unfortunately I am not married to Ken... cooking on the Barbie stove is getting old fast... Mustafa promised my stove will be back this week. If it doesn't come back soon I am going to go off to look for Ken. If I have to cook on a Barbie stove then I need to have Ken too!

It was a busy day. I went to work after my nice 4-day weekend to find
the electricity had gone out. Also another teacher was absent because
he had a death in his family. I gave my students some reading to work on and filled in for my colleague. The other teachers gave out extra busy work. No one wanted to get too 'into' anything because if it got too hot we planned to just send everyone home. Thankfully the electricity turned back on and we were able to finish the day.

Here is some good news - I have renewed my faith in the Libyan Post Office! Today we checked and found a copy of the National Geographic and also the Muslim Directory arrived - the one that has a picture that I took of the ksar in Nalut. I wrote about it in a previous post. The picture is on the page that lists information about Libya. It's not a colour photograph but it's there and that makes me happy.

Mom..... Where are you?

Videos...

Toni On! Libya:

• Part 1
  
• Part 2
  
• Part 3
  
• Part 4

These videos look really nice... unfortunately LTT strikes again... connection is slow and I'm back to rationing out my internet time....

5 gigabytes a month...grrrrrr

Enjoy them if you can!

Day three of my long weekend

We all woke up late today. It was 11 am when I got out of bed and had my first cup of coffee. I started lunch (couscous) by 11:30 and then went on to enjoy my second cup of coffee. Everyone else was still asleep.

As everyone slowly started to wake up, one by one, the house became noisier and noisier. The males went off to the mosque for Friday prayers and I got the lunch finished and ready to put on the table.

After lunch there was a unanimous decision to shave Ibrahim's head. Why? I'm not sure... I guess it just sounded like a good idea - to everyone except Ibrahim. He had to be chased down and forced. Now that his head has been shaved he's happy.

The afternoon was spent just hanging out. This evening we highlighted Sara's hair and I did the usual run to the store for bread, tuna, milk and cheese.

Boring, the day was boring. Tomorrow hopefully we'll go to the beach. Ibrahim says I can take a picture of his head tomorrow at the beach.

A long weekend

Yesterday was the 4th of July, a holiday in America, but an ordinary day in Libya. But in a way it wasn't an ordinary day for me as I'm having a 4-day weekend. The break from work is because the building that I work in is being used to hold a wedding. I'm rather enjoying the much needed break.

Yesterday I spent the morning out scouting around Tripoli for a ceiling fan to replace the one in my entry. Libyans as a rule don't use ceiling fans. They think if you install an air conditioner that you don't need a fan, but I like the air to circulate in any season. Having a fan going keeps the house cooler in summer too. Unfortunately they only sell two models here - without lights, or with lights. A rather boring selection and both kinds are cheap. But I bought one anyway - the kind with lights. I also picked up an occilating fan with a floor stand and an electric popcorn maker. Guess what we had for lunch yesterday? POPCORN! (I made hubby a hamburger when he came home)

In the evening we went to the Islamic Gardens, or it is the Islamic Museum? or the Ola club? I'm never sure what they call that place. It's in Sidi Khalifa. It's a nice family place that you have to pay to get in, and then pay to let the kids play on amusement park rides. There is also a playground and various areas with tables. Who do you suppose I found there? Mani! We got a table in the fruit juice bar section of the garden and had tall fresh fruit drinks and the kids ran around while Mani filled me in on all his ideas of reform.... hmmm... reform... Well, I forgive him - he's only 24 after all.

This morning we got up bright and early. Tara came over and we piled in the car and headed for the beach to go snorkeling. It was wonderful. The water was nice and refreshing, full of fish. I saw only one jellyfish - by next month the water will be full of them as they seem to multiply in August for some reason. We saw one old man sitting in a beach chair - he looked just like an old man you would find on a beach in Florida. Tara and I decided he was a guy in the witness protection plan, living out his days on the beach in Tajoura (instead of some beach in Florida). We left him in peace and piled in the car to go home at 10:30.

The kids have all showered and are sitting in front of the TV watching 'The Wizard of Oz'. I'm going to take my turn in the shower and wash off all the salt and sand.

I have the rest of the weekend to look forward to. I hope all my friends and family had a nice and safe 4th of July.

Mom.... Where are you???

I've got it!

It's finally arrived! My Magic 8 Ball. Now I will be able to answer all of life's questions - well, at least the important ones. I won't have to use the one on the net. Thank you Tara! Thank you so very much!... and my students will love it too... Yes or No questions!

Your chance to offer advice!

Being American means that lots of Libyans think I have some direct influence on what goes on at the American Embassy in Libya. Libyans think that their system of connections, known here in Libya as wasta, includes me somehow.

Well, not surprisingly, I hear all kinds of stories. One of the stories that I have been hearing quite frequently is from Libyans who were born in the US and go to the Embassy to apply for an American passport and have their meeting with embassy 'officials' in the coffee shop downstairs. They are not allowed into the embassy's offices upstairs, their business is discussed in full earshot of whoever else happens to be in the Corinthia's coffee shop. These Libyan/Americans are usually young guys who are too embarrassed to make an issue out of being met in the coffee shop because they think if they question it their chances of getting the passport (they are rightfully entitled to) might be influenced negatively.

For some reason this sounds a bit fishy to me. But who do you complain to? They come to me asking for advice and hoping I can help them.

What should I tell them??